Comment CARACAS, Venezuela — The Catholic Church in Venezuela has reopened its investigation into a priest who was convicted of sexually abusing a child but later returned to ministry, officials said Wednesday. The announcement came a little more than two weeks after the Washington Post reported on the case of Rev. Luis Alberto Mosquera, the priest in the Venezuelan state of Lara. Mosquera, 63, was convicted in 2006 of abusing a 6-year-old boy and sentenced to more than seven years in prison, but in 2008 he was released and allowed by the church to resume his work as a priest. A photo posted on his Facebook page in 2016 and reposted in 2017 showed him surrounded by children. Mosquera’s case was one of 10 involving allegations of child sexual abuse scrutinized by The Post for the report published in June. In half of the cases, dating from 2001 to 2022, The Post found, the convicted priests were released early from their sentences or served no prison time at all. In at least three cases, they were allowed to return to the ministry. In Venezuela, priests convicted of abuse have returned to ministry Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodríguez, the first vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, told reporters in Caracas on Wednesday that Mosquera had been suspended from ministry while the investigation was reopened. It was not clear if the church was investigating new allegations or reviewing the incident in which he was convicted. “I cannot tell you the exact date because I am not the bishop of Barquisimeto, but it has been suspended,” Moronta said. Mosquera confirmed to The Post that he was suspended on June 29, eight days after The Post report was published. “Due to the publications of the American newspaper The Washington Post and the pressures of many NGOs and human rights activists… the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Barquisimeto, according to the crime established by the Code of Canon Law and for the good of the Church, decided to suspend the my church permits,” Mosquera said in a message he also shared with parishioners in Lara. “I declare my willingness to submit with obedience, silence and humility to the process and to confirm my adherence to the doctrine of the Catholic Church even in this unfavorable circumstance,” he told the parishioners. “I invite you to persevere in the same faith.” “There was no complaint and yet I am again being held in public contempt,” Mosquera told The Post. “But I still remain calm, serene and patient.” In Venezuela, priests convicted of abuse have returned to ministry The bishops held an unusual press conference on Wednesday to discuss the church’s response to allegations of sexual abuse by its priests. Moronda, the bishop of San Cristóbal, announced an investigation into another priest who returned to ministry after pleading guilty to committing a carnal act against a 14-year-old in Falcon state. He said the Church was conducting a “serious investigation” into other cases, but would only release the results if requested by civil authorities because “it is a rule of the church to maintain confidentiality.” Moronda opened the press conference by reading from a lengthy statement. He said the bishops were “committed to making our Church presences safe spaces for all” through “various initiatives” against abuse. He did not describe actions against bishops who did not report cases to the Vatican. Moronda said the bishops had created a prevention committee that includes bishops, priests, nuns and “lay faithful experts in the field.” He did not give further details. “We know we can always do more and we are willing to do it in synergy with other institutions,” he said. Venezuelan and international journalists asked questions about specific cases. Moronda did not elaborate. “The fact that there may be some Bishops or religious leaders who have not taken the corresponding steps does not mean that there has been an omission,” he said. He and three other church officials then left the room. A 10-year-old rape victim requested an abortion. A judge urged: Get pregnant. Victor Hernandez, who says he was abused by a priest, called the press conference “terrible.” The bishops, he said, were “obviously nervous.” “They have no idea how many cases there are,” Hernández said. “That’s why they avoided the question,” he said. Since The Post’s report was published, at least five people have contacted the newspaper to share other cases. Most said they were not satisfied with the bishops’ response. Moronda said the church has been unfairly criticized. “It is worth noting that they are investigating us but not other entities, not only religious but also professional, where the number of sexual abuses is higher,” he said. “I’m not condoning anything – we take responsibility – but there are other places where these cases have happened and nobody is saying anything.” Samantha Schmidt in Minneapolis contributed this to the report.
